What used to be a storage room for neighboring businesses, Bella Saratoga and Harmonie European Day Spa, is now completely empty. The city's building official, Brad Lind, ordered the building to be vacated in mid-September following a report from engineer Karel Cymbal, who inspected the building and deemed it to be in questionable condition.

"The building is in no imminent danger of collapse, but there is a strong possibility of future structural deterioration due to high wind or seismic activity," Cymbal said.

The three-story, 5,000-square-foot building behind Harmonie European Day Spa stands tilted as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The exterior of the building reveals years of wear and tear, with the concrete and rock foundation partially exposed along various sides of the walls and the wooden steps in poor condition.

Despite the appearance of the exterior, Cymbal said that the building is in fairly good shape considering its age and what it has weathered throughout the years.

"Surprisingly, the interior is in better condition than the exterior," he said.

The original structure was constructed out of redwood, which Cymbal said appears to be in fairly good condition with some exceptions, such as termite-ridden sidings and wall plates, missing or inadequate structural connectors and loose steel cables that were installed on the second-level ceiling for reinforcement purposes.

Cymbal said that the building is salvageable, but that it would be more labor-intensive and costly to renovate the building than to rebuild it from the ground up because extra measures would have to be taken to restore its historical features. However, he said it would be worth it to retain the building's unique aspects.

Like its features, the building's history is also worth mentioning. It was built in the mid-1890s as a barn house in which original owner Sam Cloud stored hay and grain for his business, which he operated in what is now occupied by Harmonie European Day Spa.

Over the years, the building adopted other functions. It served as the Saratoga Fix-It Shop at one period and was the first printing room for the Saratoga News, which used to be located where Bella Saratoga currently operates. It was also where merchant Helen Brozda stored merchandise for her antique business.

Helen and her husband, Joseph, claimed ownership of the building, as well as four other properties, in 1972. According to son Mike, the couple, now residing in another city, is currently paying property taxes on all buildings. In addition, they are in the process of paying off parking district fees totaling $330,000, with approximately $50,000 remaining. The fees were based on the square footage of the properties and were used to build additional parking lots behind the businesses.

Mike Brozda said the family is not yet certain what to do with the building.

"We're in the process of examining all of our options," he said. "We want to turn the building into something that would make sense financially and economically and would be an asset to the community. Ideas are welcomed."

According to Brozda, the family considered several options, such as turning the building into a brewery or theater. He said that plans fell through due to lack of funding.

Current plans include partially or completely retrofitting the building, turning it into a retail establishment and using it for office or residential purposes.

Paul Conrado, a member of the Heritage Preservation Commission, said he would like to see the building being used as a winery with a separate tasting room.

Norman Koepernik, the former chairman for the commission, suggested waiving the rest of the parking district fees as an incentive for potential merchants to start a new establishment.